SAN DIEGO - Even before Jon Lester chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs late Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox were exploring all their rotation options.General manager Ben Cherington said the Red Sox were pursuing other free agents — and trade opportunities — to fill out their starting five.We need to build a rotation and we need to be in on all sorts of stuff, and we have been in all sorts of stuff, Cherington said several hours before Lester agreed to a $155 million, six-year contract with Chicago. Theres probably 15 to 20 starting pitching scenarios weve talked about and worked on. ... Were going to build a good rotation.Cherington acknowledged Boston has spoken with former pitcher Justin Masterson, who came up through the Red Sox farm system before being traded in 2009 during his second big league season. The right-hander went 7-9 with a 5.88 ERA for Cleveland and St. Louis this year, when he spent time on the disabled list because of a knee injury.After finishing last in the AL East at 71-91, the Red Sox revamped their lineup by adding free agents Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. They are now focusing on filling two rotation spots.Lester was their clear first choice. The left-hander has pitched nearly all his nine-year career with Boston, winning two World Series championships with the Red Sox. But he was traded to the As this summer.Now, he has chosen to be reunited with Theo Epstein, who was the Red Sox general manager before becoming the Cubs president of baseball operations.With or without Lester, Cherington thinks results are what matters most.I think our fans expect us to deliver on the field and win games, he said. In order for us to give the best chance, we have to add to the pitching staff. There are all sorts of ways to do that. Of course theres a connection to certain players more than others. But ultimately they care about the people we put on the field. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another veteran. Wholesale Stitched Jerseys . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate. https://www.wholesalejerseys2020.com/ . James Harden wasnt worried and told his coach as much. "He was fired up but I told him: Its OK. Were going to be all right," Harden said. And they were. Houston scored 17 straight points after that timeout, led by 10 from Harden, to take the lead and roll to an easy 129-106 win. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . According to the Red Wings Twitter feed, Zetterberg plans to practice with the team on Thursday and is aiming for a second round comeback. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . -- The San Francisco 49ers have re-signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a one-year contract.Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The 22nd-ranked Baylor Bears play their final tune-up before beginning Big 12 Conference play on Tuesday night, as they host the Norfolk State Spartans at the Ferrell Center. Norfolk State is off to a solid start, the team winning nearly twice as many games as it has lost (9-5). The Spartans are in the midst of a three-game win streak, with the latest being a 74-71 overtime triumph at James Madison on Dec. 22. Following this clash, NSU will visit Georgia and Princeton before heading to Florida A&M on Jan 10 to tip off Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. Baylor has been nearly perfect through the first month and a half, going 10-1. The Bears are 7-0 at home, and this bout represents the finale in their current four-game homestand. BU has won five in a row since suffering its lone setback of the season in a 62-54 verdict to Illinois as part of the Las Vegas Invitational. The Bears open Big 12 action at Oklahoma this Saturday. Baylor beat Norfolk State, 86-58, on Nov. 13, 2009 in the only other meeting between the two teams. Jeff Short poured in a career-high 30 points, and three others scored in double figures for Norfolk State as it slipped past James Madison in overtime last week. RaShid Gaston finished with a double-double consisting of 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, who shot 52.1 percent from the floor while allowing the Dukes to convert only 36.8 percent. A 38-29 rebounding advantage helped offset the fact that NSU committed 18 turnovers. Shorts performance upped his season scoring average to a robust 19.3 ppg, as he has done extremely well in hittting his 3-point shots at a 42.dddddddddddd.9 percent clip (33-of-77). Gaston nets 15.3 ppg, DShon Taylor 12.9 ppg and Malik Thomas 11.0 ppg for a team that produces 71.3 ppg while yielding 64.9 ppg. No other player on the roster average more than 3.2 ppg, which means the big four are pretty much it in terms of consistent offense. A +6.5 rebounding margin has been a huge benefit. Baylors latest win was a closer-than-expected 70-66 decision against visiting Southern University on Dec. 22, a game in which the Bears shot a rather pedestrian 44 percent from the floor, missing 10 of their 14 3-point tries along the way. Fortunately, a 22-12 edge in points at the foul line and a lackluster 40 percent shooting effort from the Jaguars played right into their hands. Johnathan Motley led Baylor with 19 points, while Rico Gather had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards, and Kenny Chery 11 points and seven assists in the victory. Although he has played half the number of games as most of his teammates, Taurean Prince leads the Bears in scoring with 11.4 ppg. Motley is netting 10.0 ppg as the only other current double-digit scorer, but at least three others are close to joining the ranks, as Gathers, Royce ONeal and Chery check in with averages of 9.8, 9.7 and 9.3 ppg, respectively. Gathers grabs a club-best 10.5 rpg. Baylor is scoring 68.6 ppg while allowing only 55.0 ppg. The teams stifling defensive effort permits foes only 37.8 percent success on field goal attempts, and a paltry 26.6 percent from 3-point land. The Bears own one of the top rebounding margins in the country at +11.5. ' ' '